Friction driving mechanism for automobiles.



PATBNTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. W. LAMBERT. FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION TILED D3013. 1906. RENEWED SEPT. 6, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

811/021 1 fez No. 877,438. I PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908. J. w. LAMBERT.

FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED um 13. 1906. amnwznsnrr. a, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. and Fig. 3 a plan View.

' the rear axle bv any suitable means.

JOHN W.-LAMBERT, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA.

- FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent d Jan. '21, 1908.

Application filed December 13. 1906- Serlalll'e. 347.601. Renewed September 6. 1907. Serial Hof391.702.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jon W. LAMBERT, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Anderson,.-county of Madison, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction Driving Mechanism for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which Fi ure 1 is a side elevation of a truck providefi with my invention; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view on the line li1l of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, is a detail side elevation of a form of hanger for the rock shaft 8.

This invention relates to improvements in that form of friction drive for automobiles known as the Lambert drive, wherein a disk is rigidly secured to the engine shaft and a driven disk is brought into contact with the face of said friction disk, power being transmitted from said driven disk to this friction drive is applied to heavy trucks the driven disk must be forced against the friction disk with considerable pressure, and it is one of the objects of tlns invention to provide means by which the. thrust of the driven disk against the friction disk may be taken up, thereby preventing any tendency to displace the friction disk from its true perpendicular with respect to the engine shaft.

Another object of the invention is to rovide means for simultaneously bringing the driven disk 11 ainst the friction disk and a freely rotatabe thrust receiving wheel against the opposite side of the friction disk.

Other objects of the invention, relating more particularly to details of construction,

.will more fully hereinafter appear and will be articularly pointed out in the claims.

efcrring to the various parts by numerals,.1 designates the frame of a truck in which may be mounted an engine 2 of any suitable form. On the shaft 3 of the engine is mounted the friction disk 4, the shaft beshaft.

mg arran ed longitudinally of the truck and the (isk being perpendicular to the The driven disk 5 is mounted on a tranverse shaft 6. This shaft is supported by pivoted hangers 7 said hangers being suspended from the truck frame.

In the rear of the friction disk at rock shaft 8 is mounted in hangers 9 which are susllhen l pended from the truck frame. Mounted rigidly on this rock shaft are arms 10, said arms being connected by adjustable rods 11 to depending arms 12 connected to the hangers 7 sup orting the shaft 6. Rigidi 88- its bearings and the driven disk is swung forward against the rear face of the friction disk. Power is transmitted from the shaft 6 to the rear axle of the truck by any suitable means. 7

Suitable mechanism is usually em loyed for shifting the driven disk on'the 'ction disk in order to vary the s eed of the shaft 6 and to reverse its motion, ut I do not consider it necessary to show this mechanism in this a plication.

To ta e up the forward thrust of the driven on the friction disk, two freely rota-ting thrust wheels 18 are mounted forward of the friction disk and in osition to be brought to bear on the forwar side of said disk. Each of these thrust wheels is mounted on a short shaft 19, said shaft being r0- vided with roller bearings 20. Each 19 is supported in a depending swin yoke 21, near the upper end thereof. he upper ends of the vertical arms of this yoke are pivotally suiported by horizontal pins 22 secured in depending brackets 23. These brackets are rigidly secured to crosa-ba.-s -2% of the main frame 1. The thrust Wheels are so mounted that the centers of said wheels will be in a horizontal plane passing throu h the center of the friction disk; and said dis are ada ted to be brought to bear against the forwar face of the friction disk at a point near the periphery1 thereof, said .points of contact being i t e with the center of the friction disk. B this means the friction disk will be sufficiently backed up to permit it to take the forward thrust of the driven disk without the least distortion. The lower ends of the sus ended yokes are connected to the rock-she t 8 by means of adjustable bars 25. The hangers 9 carrying the rock-shaft 8 are so made that they may be slightly sprung rearward when same horizontal plane the driven disk is forced against the friction disk. It will thus be seenthat by throwing back thefootlever to rock the shaft- 8 and force the driven disk against. the friction disk' the hangers will be sprung rearward and the yokes 21 will be-drawn rearward suiliciently to bring the thrust wheels into contact with the forward face of the friction dim. It will be understood that it is only necessary to bring the thrust wheels into contact with the friction disk, and it is not desirable that said wheels should be forced against. the friction disk with any de cc of. pressure. i may provide any suita leaneans for permitting this slight rearward movement of the thrust wheels. It is also desirable that the thrust wheels may move forward away from the friction disk whenever the pressure 15 removed from the driven disk, and the slight spring of. the hanger 9 will accomplish this.

A spring 12 is connected to the arm 12 and to a strut-rod 12 to quickly withdraw the driven disk from the friction disk when the pawl 16 is released.

Instead ,of forming the hangers 9 so that they may be sprung slightly rearward I may form them as shown in detail in Fig. 4. As shown in that figure the rock shaft 8 is mounted in a pivoted section 19 of the hanger, said section bein connected to the main part of the hanger hy a rule-joint 19*, said rule-joint permitting the section 19" to have a slightrearward swinging movement before coming toa stop. A fiat spring 19 is provided to normally throw the section 19* forward to its normal position. By this means the rearward movement of the thrust wheels will be limited, the section 19 being swung rearward to the limit of its movement by the forward pull on the arm 13 after the driven disk has been brought into contact with the friction disk. .The thrust wheels are provided with a hard fiber periphery 28 which are adapted to bear against the friction disk; and with long outward extending hubs 29 to give said wheels a broad bearing su ort." V

l e rear end of the engine shaft is supported in a suitable bearing 3t supported by the cross-bar 24 of the frame.

From the foregoing the objects and advant-agesfof the invention will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as "new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-.

l. A frictio'iulriving mechanism comprising a friction disk, a driven friction disk, a rock-shaft, means for moving said shaft, means connected tb said shaft for bringing the driven disk into cngagenu-nt with the friction diskj ti )air of thrust wheels. meansconnecting 'sai' wheels to the rock-shaft whereby said thrust wheels will be brought into engagement. with the friction disk on the opposite side thereof from the o..,. disk, and a stop device to limit the pressure of the thrust wheels on the friction disk without limiting the pressure of the driven disk on said friction disk.

2. A friction driving mechanism comprising a friction disk. a driven disk ada ited to be bi'ought into engagement with the friction disk, a thrust device normally out of engagement with the friction disk. and means for bringing said thrust device into engagementwith the friction :lisk on the opposite side from the driven disk. at stop other than the riction disk to prevent further bodily movement of the thrust device after its contact with the friction disk.

3. A friction driving mechanism compris-' ing a friction disk. a driven friction disk. a rock-shaft. means connecting said rock shaft to the driven disk whereby said disk may be brought into engagement with the friction disk, a thrust wheel. means connecting said thrust wheel .to the rock-shaft whereby said wheel may be brought into engagement with the friction disk, means for rotating said rock-shaft. a yielding device to permit the thrust wheels to be brought against the friction disk after the driven disk is in engagement therewith. means for limiting the pressure of the thrust wheels on the friction disk without limiting the pressure of the driven disk against the friction disk.

4. A friction driving mechanism comprising a friction disk. :1 driven disk. :1 pair of thrust wheels. provided with a non-nu-tallio frictional surfact adapted to be brought into engagement with he friction disk. the thrust wheels and the driven di k being on opposite sides of the friction disk, and means for bringing the driven disk and the thrust wheels into engagement. with the friction disk, and a stop device other than the friction. disk to limit the pressure of the thrust wheels on the friction disk.

5. A friction driving mechanism comprising a friction disk, a driven disk, at rock shaft, means for moving said shaft. means connected to said shaft for bringing the driven disk into engagement with tlufriction disk, :1 pair of thrust. wheels, meanseonnccting said thrust wheels to the rocks-buff whereby said thrust wheels will be brought into engagement with the friction disk on the. opposite side thereof from the driven disk.

(3. A friction driving mechanism comprising a friction disk. a driven disk, at. rock shaft. means connecting said rock shaft to the driven disk. wherebyaaid disk may be brought into engagement with the friction disk, at pairof pivoted yokes, a thrust wheel mounted in each yoke, means connecting said yokcs to [ht-rock shaft, and means for moving said rock shaft. r V

t. A friction driving mechanism comprising a friction 11' means for moving thv drivvn disk and iliv ,tiioii disk (in opposite sidvs tht-rvtil'.

S. A friction drivin; iiit't'hiinisin t-vin iri ingiifi'iction disk, :1- driwn disk udiipivd tn ho engagvmvnt with thtl'i'it-iimi disk mi thigiigrmont with the lrit-tiun disk a id nit-an for bringing the thrust dovivo iniu vi gugv- 'IIiOlilI with the irirV-tinn disk :il'tvr ihtdi'ii'vii j disk haslwun brought. iIilt)(iif {:if 1t3iii('iii iih i l'iii'v l' the hit-thin disk. niid :1 single inst-ruthe friction disk.

9. A frivtiun driving inuihzinisni ilitiisi- 2 ing :1- friction disk, ti di'ivt-ii disk, ii l't)('l-' shaft, liitiiiiS (minor-ting said im-l ::ii'i iii :i lit- I ,tht: tip iosiin side ihvi'i-nf from the driven the driven disk whvi'vh said disk brought into engagt-nicnt ii-ii tlw disk, a. thrust wheel. a Swinging hmu-ing i'nr 1 said wln'u l, inn-tins connecting said lnzii'iiifl tn 1 the ruck-shaft, means for rotating said rurk- 1 shaft to hi'ing thv (liiYt'li disk against thifriction disk, and lli(2lll5 whvrvhy thethrust wheel may be brought. against thn friction 0 disk after the driven disk is in cngugrnivnt therewith.

\k, a driven disk, swinging l bearings for said clrn'r-n disk, :1 thrust whirl. v S\\'1ngl1i; flitiiiiii !1'$ for said thrust whm-i. :ind I iiil-nfzilit ndziptvd t htiininuidl opmiitvd in illilijl thv driven disk liill; viigiig'viiient with said hit-thin di k and tht' thrust wheel iniu viigzigvnicut .Ylili said iriutiuii disk on .\i. ll. Iii-Wis, E. H. .KATTFMAXN. 

